Food dispenser cabinet



March 26, 1946. R, H BlsHOP 2,397,403l

FOOD DI SPENSER CABINET Filed May 25. 1945 3 Sheeto-Sh'eet 1 f 4 f /f//2 9 g y ff@ l E f, w l/ Z Fmi. "f

Fla FIG. 4

INVENToR.

FOOD DISPENSER CABINET INVENTOR. @055er H /wop TTOBNE Y@ March 26, 1946.R, BlsHOp FooD DISPENSER` CABINET Filed May 25, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 3Patented Mar.y 26, 1.7946

i UNITED 2,397,403 1 r FOOD DISPENSER CAABINET Robert H. Bishop,Champaign, Ill., assigner to R. mishop Company, Champaign, Ill., a cor-Iporation of Illinois Application May`25, 194,5, Serial No. 595,789 5Claims. (CL 3123) This invention relates to a food dispensercabinet andis particularly directed to a storage display case adapted to store,freeze, or maintain, frozeny foods.

It is an object of this invention to provide a storage and display casefor foods which includes storage and display cabinets which may be keptat relatively low temperatures whereby foods may be maintained in thestorage cabinet under freezing conditions. L

It is a further object of the invention to provide a storage locker formaintaining foods in the frozen condition whereby each customer has aseparate section or cabinet and the food so stored by the customers isreadily accessible for inspection and removal. y

It is also an object of the invention to provide a frozen food storagecabinet for home use whereby different frozen foods may be segregatedand stored and are readily accessible for removal and use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a frozen food storagecabinet whereby the storage and display compartments are combined in thesame unit avoiding the more expensive construction involving separatestorage and display com- Dartments.

It is a further object of the invention to provide `inspection andpackage-removing doors which when opened for removal of individualpmkages does not affect the temperature conditions in the cabinet due toan inrush of warm air into the cabinet and yet does not sacrifice easyremoval and ready inspection of the packages.

It is also an object of the invention to provide separate and individualvertical conveyors for storage and for automatically causing anotherfood package to come into position for removal and inspection when apackage is removed from the conveyor. Y

Still another object of the invention is the .provision of a novelpositive action means for actuating the conveyor whereby the fewerpackages stored inthe conveyor the less the force exerted and converselythe greater the packages stored in each conveyor section the greater theforce exerted which insures uniformity in the automatic action formaintaining packages in display and removal position,

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel means forlighting the display section of the cabinet and for indicating the itemsin each conveyor section.

An important object of this invention is to arrange the construction ofthe storage cabinet in such a manner that it can be arranged in unitswhereby additional capacity for stores is readily attained by installingadditional units.

It is an object of this invention to provide a storage anddisplay'cabinet for use in grocery stores and the like which is compactin size and is attractive to the public and is particularly adapted forself-service in grocery stores and the like. v

It is a further object of this invention toproy vide a food displaycabinet in which a large variety of food products may be separatelystored and displayed.

In order to preserve the quality of quickly frozen foods it is necessaryto keep the food packages at a temperature preferably below 10 F. abovezero. If the temperature of the food.

product is permitted to rise substantially above this temperature thequality and flavor of the food is greatly impaired. Little difilculty isexperienced in maintaining the proper temperature where the door of thecabinet is infrequently opened but where the doors are frequently openedfor inspection and removal of packages, as is done in storage displaycabinets, much dimcultyr` is experienced in properly maintaining thetemperature within the cabinet. Various methods and apparatus have beendesigned in the past for overcoming these diiiiculties but none of themhave proved satisfactory. The most. common means presently used foroffsetting frequent openings of therefrigerator cabinet doors is tomaintain a temperature lower than normally required' for preservation ofthe food, and therefore even with frequent openings the temperaturewould never rise above a certain maximum. It is obvious that such amethod is highly ineiiicient and is not absolutely sure of maintainingthe proper temperature required.

The present storage refrigeration cabinets provide for no satisfactorymeans for removal of unit packages from the cabinet without increasingthe temperature within. In one such cabinet the top of the cabinet isentirely open but this is an expensive and uneconomical operation sincethe compressor for the refrigeration coil must work at all times. Inother cabinets the package removal doors are so large and located soclose to the bottom of the cabinet that every time they are opened. thecold airvwill rush out and the warm air will rush in due to thedifference in the densities and this also results in an uneconomicaloperation. In my cabinet, by positioning the package inspection andremoval doors near the top of one of the side walls and by keeping thesize to a minimum substantially no temperature change occurs below thebottom of the doors, when they are opened, although a slight temperatureincrease will occur in the zone directly opposite the doors. By thisarrangement the temperature loss on frequent openings f the packageremoval doors is kept to a minimum and this is accomplished withoutsacricing the provision of readily available openings for removal ofpackages of ready inspection since the design and construction of mystorage cabinets make all these things a reality.

\ Furthermore much eiort and expense has been applied to developingsuitable automatic means for maintaining a package in display positionwhen a package'has been removed vby the customer from the cabinet. Mostof-the devices involved complicated apparatus which were diiicult andexpensive to construct and involved the use of complicated Amechanismdriven by a motor or other prime mover. In my device I provide avertical conveyor comprising a platform positioned in a guiding frameand the platform is urged upwardly when a package is removed by apositive means such as a spring positioned under the platform to urge itupward. Also a conveyor belt, chain, rope or flexible wire may beattached to a spring under tension for urging the platform upward.

In another embodiment the positive means not involving a prime movercomprises a series of weights properly balanced against the packagespositioned in vertical layers on the platform such that when one packageis removed the weights will pull the platform upward causing anotherpackage to come into inspection position.

However all of the above arrangements have one feature in common whichis particularly advantageous and that is the fewer number of packages onthe platform the less force is required to raise the platform and Iaccomplish this automatically for example by relieving the tension Vorcompression on the spring as more packages are removed from theplatform.

In still another embodiment the platform may be urged upwardly by aratchet arrangement which upon closing of the door will turn the ratchetand, by use of a suitable pulley arrangement, will force the platformupward.

Another important object of the invention is to provide means whichplaces unit packages in a position that they can be readily removed bythe customer. In other words each .package in inspection and removalposition is placed such that it can 'be readily pulled out by the handsof the customer and I provide this means automatically by having theguide frame shaped in y such a manner that the upper package as it isurged into inspection and removal position is forced not only upward butforward so that it extends over the package directly underneath allowinga finger hold for ready removal of the package.

In general my invention comprises a food display and dispenser cabinetconsisting of an insulated box, a vertical food dispensing means in saidbox comprising a. platform positioned in a vertical guiding frame and apositive means for urging the platform upward when a package is removed.The top of thebox is open and is closed by a lid for permitting easyaccess to the refrigeration coil contained in the box and for easyaccess to replace or repair any of the vertical guiding frames or thepositive control means. The inspection openings or ports through whichunit packages are removed by the customers are provided in at least onewall of the cabinet and preferably in the opposite walls of thelongitudinal dimension ofthe cabinet, and are positioned near the topedges of the walls, adjacentthe iid for closing of the top opening,which minimizes the amount of heat loss through the doors when unitpackages are removed therethrough. It is. preferable to have these doorsequipped with transparent sections in'order that the packages may beinspected without opening of the doors. This transparent material isusually glass although other suitable material may be used. s f

Other objectaadvantages and uses of my storage and display cabinet willbecome readily apparent by referring to the drawings in which Figure 1shows in perspective the exterior of the display cabinet illustratingparticularly the position of the doors for closing the inspection andpackage removal ports through which unit packages may be removed. y

Figure 2 is similar' to Figure 1 showing in general the internalconstruction of the cabinet and the position of the lighting means forilluminat-l ing the packages for inspection.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate one deslgnfor urging of the platform upwardlywhen a package is removed from the cabinet involving the uset of weightsattached to a belt.

. Figures 5 and 6 'show the use of a large compression spring directlyunderneath the platform for urging the platform upwardly when a packageis removed from the cabinet.

' Figure 7 is a sectional plane view, Figure 8 a perspectiye view andFigure 9 a side elevation of another means involving use of compressionsprings for urging of the platformv upward.

Figures 10 and 11 illustrate the use of a springl under tension forpulling the platform upward cabinet.

when the top package is removed from the platform. Figures 12 andiillustrate a ratchet ar-` rangement wherein alever is loweredpermitting removal of a package and the closing of the inspection dooractuates the ratchet bringing another package into inspection andremoval position. e

Referring -to Figures 1 and 2 a box-like structure i0 suitably insulatedas shown by A in Figure 2, is provided with an opening in the topthereof which is closed and sealed by the lid ii. The lid-H may behinged or fastened in any suitable manner as long as when it is closedleakage of cold air from the cabinet is prevented. The primary purposeof the lid Il is for gaining ready access to the internal parts of thebox for repair and replacements. It is not used for removing of packagesfrom the cabinet nor for the adding additional packages of food to theon a base i2. It is preferable to have the base I2 separate from the boxsince one of the advantages of l my cabinet is that a plurality can beplaced end to end in unit arrangement for use in grocery stores and thelike, and it may not always be desirable or feasible to have the sametype of base in all cases.

Package removal ports or ropenings I3 are provided and are preferablypositioned in the longitudinal vertical walls of the box adjacent thelid H for the purpose as herebefore explained. Although only two suchports are shown. it is within the scope of the invention to provide onlyIfdesired the cabinet may be placed one port or opening along the frontwall of the cabinet but it is usually preferable to haveva large numberof ports accommodating a small section of the cabinet in order tofurtherminimize heat loss when doors closing the ports are opened. In somecases it may be desirable to have a port and door for each unit packagecontaining section of the box.

Although it is within the scope of the invention to 4,have inspectionports and doors only in front wall of the box facing the customer withthe back against a wall, inwhich case there would be only one row ofguiding sections containing platforms for arrangement of the foodpackages,

it is preferable to divide the box in the longitudinal direction withpackage storage sections along each side of a dividing partition. Thispermits arrangement of the cabinets in the center of the store andaccess to the cabinet may be had from both sides which makes-a morecompact arrangement and provides for larger customer capacity.Furthermore the low height of my cabinet permits the positioning of thecabinets in the center of the store allowing the customer to see .overthe cabinet to the goods displayed by the grocer along the walls of theroom.

The important thing is to have the inspection and package removal portsnear the top of the cabinet to obtain an efficient refrigerator astaught by me.

The various modifications described and illustrated herein are not to beconsidered as exact equivalents and are given to indicate several typesof construction within the-broad scope of my invention.

Although not shown in Figures 1 and 2 similar ports I3 and doors I4 areprovided on the opposite wall of the cabinet, Inspection doors I4 havingtransparent inspection sections I5 preferably made of glass are providedfor closing the ports I3. Suitable hinges I6 as well as suitable lock orhandles I1 are provided.

A novel lighting arrangement is provided by positioning illuminatingtubes I8 under the lid so as to light ports I3 and may be of the or- Idinary incandescent type or may be of the fluorescent type. These twolighting elements are positioned and attached underneath the lid Il'soas to illuminate the packages adjacent the inspection and packageremoval ports I3. Provision is also made above each package storagesection or compartment to indicate the type of food in that compartmentand the price. This may be done in any suitable manner but it ispreferable to have the portions I9 in the lid made of glass recessedslightly in the top of the lid Il and on which glass may be placedlettering on transparent material which would also be illuminated by theillumination elements I8.

To obtain more uniform distribution for refrigeration, the refrigerationcoil 2|] is positioned in the panel 52 in the center of the cabinet andpreferably such as to divide the cabinet in a longitudinal direction.The panel 52 may be of metal. bre board and the like with cut outscorresponding to the coil 20 and coil 20 inserted in the cut outs. It isalso understood that the entire panel and coil may be of metal formed ofa casting such that a sinuous path for the refrigerating gases will beformed directly in the panel and the sinuous path serving as the coil.The refrigeration coil then also serves as a. partition separating thetwo parallel row package compartments or package storage units 2|. Themanner oi' refrigeration is not important to this invention but theusual refrigeration methods and apparatus such as a compressor,refrigeration medium, coil, thermostat and other accessory equipment maybe used.

If it is desired to use my frozen food storage cabinets in homes or insmall stores. the entire compressor, coil and associated parts forrefrigeration may be located within the cabinet or in 'a separatecompartment. However since my storage cabinet is especially adaptablefor use in units, for providing large capacities, the coil andthermostat only are positioned in each cabinet and a central compressoris used for all the cabinets which results in an arrangement veconomicalin construction and operation. The cabinets in such a service maybeplaced end to end andthe two exposed ends may each have a plateadvertising the goods sold or may be provided with any suitableadditional decorative feature.

Furthermore while I. have illustrated and described a rectangularcabinet for usev in stores and the like, round, square, or other shapedcabinets may be used within the scope of my invention depending on thetype of service required.

' A number of vertical package' storing units 2| are provided and areillustrated generally in Figures 1 and 2. The particular construction ofthese package storing units will be more fully described in connectionwith the remaining illustrations.

Although the package storage sections or units 2| which are vertical andplaced side by side in alignment are shown as being the same size, it iswithin the scope of this invention to have them of different sizes inorder to accommodate different sized packages of food. This isparticularly advantageous in the use of my cabinet foristorlng anddisplayingpackaged frozen meat which is preferably packaged in differentsizes according to weigh/t. Furthermore different cuts of meatnecessarily require different sized packages in order for the variouscuts to be sold economically and to meet the requirements oi differentcustomers. This type of cabinet is also suitable for the use ofdispensing ice cream, frozen foods and vegetables and similar itemssince items of this kind also involve different sized packages.

The inspection ports 3 are not only used for removing unit packages offood but the compartments or units 2| may be replenished through thesame ports thereby preventing any substantial increase in temperatureduring the filling or replenishing operation. Although not asconvenient, the compartments 2| may be replenished by raising the lidII. .lin either event I use a top opening for replenishing which hasmany -advantages over those presently sold and marketed having sideopenings near the'bottom of cabinets.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate one specic method and means for raising theplatform supporting a plurality of packages of food, suitable for use inconnection with the cabinet shown in Figures 1 and 2. f

Throughout the specication the numeral 2| is used to refer to the foodstorage compartments or units or magazines as a whole and the'numeral 2|does not refer to any particular part of 'such units. The numeral 23 isused to refer to the frame of the compartment and does not apply to theunit as a Whole.

A platform 22 is positioned in guiding frame 23 such as to permitguiding of the platform in its vertical movement in the frame. Aconveyor belt 24 which may be of leather, webbing, or other like, isprovided and is attached` to the platform by suitable means such asadhesive. rivets. eyesary force to vraise the platfonn and push the nextpackage into position for removal when the previous package has beenremoved. In order to have smooth operation, this embodiment is designedlike the remaining embodiments shown in Figures 5 to 13 inclusive sothat as fewer packages remain on the shelf or platform 22 the lesspositive force is exerted and required to raise the platform to bringthe next package into position.

Although not essential, the platform 22 is an inverted U-shaped type ofplatform so that the legs of the U act as a buffer when the platform isloaded with packages and provides a rest on the floor of the cabinet. Inother words, the legs rest on the floor of the cabinet itself.

An important feature of the guide frame 23 is that it causes the toppackage to be placed in removal and inspection position to be forcedtoward the port opening I3 while being moved upward so as to extendpartially over the immediate package underneath providing a finger holdfor the customer making the package readily removable. This is done byshaping the back side of the guide frame 23, which is the side oppositethe port opening I3, in the form of a circle or angle so that the upwardmovement of the platform forces the package forward. In Figure 4 thepackage 28 has been forced forward so that it extends slightly over thepackage 29 directly underneath. In addition the top covering of theguide frame 23 is angled at the front, upward and away from the package28 so that finger space is provided on both the top and bottom ofpackage 28 in order that it isA readily removable. Other methods andapparatus may be used within the scope of this invention to accomplishthe same results.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6 a similar platform 22 is positioned inguide frame 23 and this embodiment diifers primarily in the manner ofexerting the upward pressure on the platform 22. In this case a largecompression spring r3i is placed underneath the platform 22 sothat whenbeyond its limit. In Figure 9 the flanges on the platform 22 are on thetwo sides of the platform while in Figure 6 they are attached to thefront .through the openings 35i in the frame 23 and then pass down theback side of frame 23 where they are attached to the opposite ends ofthe bar 36. -Springs 35' arranged in a V-shape are attached to theopposite ends of the cross bar 36 and are also attached to the upper endof the spring 35. In other words in Figures 10 and 1l a tension typespring is 'used as the positive l means for urging the platform upwardrather 44 and rod 31. l l

dropping down of the handle 38 if the door il is the platform iscompletelyv loaded with packages i stead of having one spring Adirectlyunderneath the platform as shown in Figures 5 and 6, four smallersprings 32 positioned in the corners of the guiding frame 23 areprovided. In Figure 9 the pins 53 are inserted through holes in platform22 and the pins 58 are welded to the platform 22. The lower portion ofthe pins 58 merely serve as a guide 'for the springs 32 when theplatform 22 rests on the bottom of the cabinet. In both theillustrations of Figures 6 and 9 the platform is U-shaped in design soas to forma buffer when the platform is fully loaded providingprotection for the spring so that it cannot be compressed' than thecompression type spring as shown in Figures 6 and 9.

Figures 12 and 13 illustrate a ratchet arrangement for raising theplatform 22 positioned in guiding frame 23 after a package is' removedby a customer. While this arrangement is not completely automatic, it ispositive in its action since the closing of the door I1 will causeanother package to come vinto inspection and removal position. An axisrod 31 having handle 38 xedly attached thereto is provided. The righthand pulley 39 is i-lxedly attached to the shaft 31. The left handpulley 39 is ixedly attached to the ratchet 40 and is journalled on rod31 and a bearing such as the-roller bearing 4i may be provided.

A spring 42 is coiled around the end of the rod 31 at 43 and fastened tothe guide frame 23 at This spring is to prevent the opened merely forlooking at a package in one of the compartments. Otherwise it serves nofunction. v

A ratchet lever 45 is fastened on to the rod 31 at 46 and is adapted andarranged that when the handle 38 is pulled downwardly in order to removepackage 28 from the compartment, the ratchet is placed in operating andforce-exerting position. The head55 of the ratchet` lever 45 has apiston 56 slidable therein which is urged outwardly by a spring and theset screw 51 -an'd has the tooth member 54. The turning of the handle 38rotates the ratchet lever 45 and tooth member 5d 'twill slide over theratchet sil 'and when the handle 38 is again raised, the tooth member 5dwill raise the next package into position. A raising of the handle 38into the position shown which may be done by hand or by the closing ofthe door i1. raises the shelf 22 and brings another package intoposition for inspection and removal therefrom. The above operation ofthe ratchet is accomplished by the apparatus in the following manner.The pulling downwardly towards the front of the cabinet of the handle 33pulls the ratchet 45 from the position shown in Figure 13 to a pointdirectly abovethe numeral 53 where the tooth54 engages the adjacenttooth of the sprocket 43. The customer now removes package 28 which isthe upper-most package positioned on the platform 22. The customer,either by raising up on the handle or by closing the door i4 shown inFigure 1 will turn the rod 51 and force the right hand pulley 39counter-clockwise until the ratchet 45 again reaches position as shownin Figure 13. 'Ihis last mentioned turning of the ratchet operates theleft hand pulley 33 which raises the next package into inspection andremoval position. Pulley belt 41 passes over the pulley 38 and aroundthe guide pulley 48 mounted in the frame and is attached to the platform22 at I9 and provides the conveying means for raising and lowering shelf22 as actuated by the ratchet 40. The guide flange means of the platformextends above and below the platform at the front to provide means forattaching the belt. To hold the platform -in position a means 50,attached to the frame at l, is provided. Means 50 may compriseastiispring or it' may be hinged metal stop permitting turning of the ratchet40 in a counter-clockwise direction but preventing the turning of theratchet in a clockwise direction. Rod 31 is journaled in walls of frame23.

The above illustrations and descriptions relating thereto are notintended to limit my invention which is only limited by the followingclaims. I claim as my invention:

l. An apparatus for storing, displaying and dispensing packaged frozenfoods, comprising an insulated cabinet having a service lid for gainingaccess to the interior of the cabinet, a package-v removal openingadjacent the top of a vertical sidewall of the cabinet, a door therein,said door and opening being of sufficient width measured vertically topermit ready removal of one package only at a time, a package receivingmagazine located inside the cabinet adjacent but spaced from the wallsthereof lsaid receiving magazine comprising vertical pierced wallsforming a package-receiving space of the size and shape of a package,the upper end of the`front wall of saidV magazine terminating below theother walls, and the rear wall formed with a forwardly curved top, thusforming an opening of size and shape to permit ready removal of onepackage at a time therethrough, a platform to support a stack of saidpackages mounted for vertical travel -between said pierced walls, saidvertical walls serving as guide means to guide said platform in itsvertical travel, means limiting the downward travel of said platformthereby providing a space between said platform and the floor of saidcabinet, means for urging said platform upward thereby automaticallycarrying a stack of packages resting thereon upward until the toppackage is thrust against saidI forwardly curving top and urged forwardinto said opening in themagazine to permit its being readily graspedwhen the door is opened, refrigerating means extending vertically insaid cabinet from a point near the bottom to a point near the topthereof, said refrigerating means being located adjacent and spacedfromthe rear wall of said magazine, the walls of the cabinet, the wallsof the magazine and the refrigerating mean's -forming a passageway forcirculatingl air downwardly between the magazine and the refrigeratingmeans, across the bottom of the cabinet, and then upwardly in thepackage receiving magazine and between the walls of the cabinet andmagazine 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that therefrigerating means comprises a cooling coil.

3. 'I'he apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for urging the platformVupward comprises a spring means acting between the casing and the lplatform.

